Pact for the wetlands

Without wetlands, we will not stop the climate catastrophe or the biodiversity crisis and limit their negative effects. An increasing part of society and decision-makers in Poland is aware of this. Most of the wetlands in the country have been destroyed and need to be restored. All well-preserved wetlands must be protected. This is a huge challenge that requires coordination, research, public participation and a well-thought-out strategy.

Therefore, as part of the celebration of World Wetlands Day, on February 6-7th 2023, the Center for Wetland Conservation (Warsaw, Poland) and the Faculty of Biology of the University of Warsaw have organized a scientific conference “Protection of the wetlands in Poland”.

Olga Denyshchyk on behalf of group of the authors (Olga Denyshchyk, Tatiana Minayeva, Jan Peters of the Michael Succow Foundation, Partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre and Care for Ecosystems) presented a plenary report “Restoration and Sustainable use of Peatland as contribution towards Green Recovery of Ukraine”.

The authors have showed that massive restoration of the ecosystem services of the peatlands in Polesia, Forest Steppe and Highland Peatlands of the Carpathians will contribute towards improvement not only hydrological support of the river systems, carbon storage and reduction of GHG emissions, biodiversity protection, but also towards such strategical security issues like drinking water supply, flood and wildfire control, and natural military defence line.

Abstract of the study is available from the Book of abstracts.